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With the proliferation of smart phones, portable gaming systems and media players, more children—especially teenagers—are listening to ear buds and headphones at dangerously high volume levels. Vanderbilt is offering tips to parents and teenagers to help prevent long-term hearing loss.

Kristina Rigsby, Au.D., a pediatric audiologist at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, says listening to devices with levels over 80 dB for extended periods of time may be potentially dangerous.

Prolonged exposure to high volume exhausts the auditory system, she explains. Over time, the hair cells in the ear start to degenerate because they aren’t receiving proper blood flow and oxygen.

“When you are listening to these devices at high levels and for long periods of time, you are putting yourself at risk for hearing loss,” Rigsby said. “Hearing loss is permanent, so once you’ve done the damage, there’s no getting it back.”

If parents can hear sound coming from their child’s headphones while they are wearing them, it’s too loud, Rigsby said. A good rule of thumb is the “60/60 rule,” which means using only 60 percent of the device’s volume level for no more than 60 minutes at a time. After 60 minutes, give your ears a break for at least an hour, she said.

Other suggestions include:
• Investing in high-quality, “noise cancelling” headphones that cover the entire ear. Ear buds allow more background noise to seep in, so children often turn up the volume to compensate.
• Using hearing protection such as custom-made ear plugs. These can be used while playing music, attending concerts or in other loud environments like movie theaters and firework shows.
• Setting volume restrictions on your child’s personal electronic devices.